“To the Schools We Must Look for Good Canadians”: Developments in the Teaching of History in Schools Since 1960

Abstract

This paper surveys developments in the teaching of Canadian history in schools since the 1960s. It argues that history in schools has always been intended to promote “citizenship” and that concern for citizenship has produced challenges to history’s traditional status in the schools. In particular, two rivals have emerged to challenge history: the social sciences and Canadian Studies, whose supporters claim that they are more effective than history as vehicles for citizenship education in a Canadian setting. The paper concludes by noting that historians have been largely absent from the debate of what essentially is a question of important public policy.